The Conquerors
by Talietzin
Summary: A swordsman and his party have a seemingly normal life until a sudden turn of events twists their fate around to involve them in the battle to determine the fate of the world. PG-13 for violence. Rating may be changed accordingly.
1. Rise Of The Conquerors

The Conquerors 

"Everyone dies, but not everyone truly lives."

"To conquer your fears is to live. To be conquered by fear is to die."

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING HERE except my characters, my own skills and my story. Also, certain characters like Yavanna and Ronald belong to my friends. XD The rest all belongs to the great Lee Myung-Jin and Gravity. oo;

All intellectual property apart from what Lee Myung-Jin and Gravity own is copyright to ME. =P

Chapter One:

Rise Of The Conquerors

Tian Han awoke to the fresh desert air as his swordsman buddy, Gale, and Kai Yazaki, an archer, began their training. Han was still a novice, thus he had been feeling left out in the last few days of training.

"So, I hear you plan to change your job today, Han?" asked Kai.

"Yeah... But I don't know what to change into!"

"Well... we could use an agile party member... After all, we already have one tank and one long-range supporter. An agility-based party member would be an added bonus to our current party!" suggested Gale.

"Alright... But what's a job based on agility?"

"That, my friend, would be a thief," replied Gale, hacking apart a Pecopeco.

"Alright! It's set then! I'm gonna be a thief!"

And become a thief he did. He struggled against the bats, with the assistance of his friends. They were so helpful, he decided to share the loot he got from a stealing spree, but they handed it back to him. He was the one who deserved it, because he earned his loot on his own.

They kept training and training for the next few days, living on Pecopeco and Condor body parts. They made their way to Prontera, where Gale planned to find out how to become a knight and Kai to restock arrows. Han had no actual purpose in going to Prontera, but since they were his party members, he decided to follow them. They stopped at the inn for a good meal after so long in the tough desert conditions. Gale decided to stay for the night to clean up his armour. Sand and dirt were all over and inside his clothes and boots, so much so that he felt pain while walking. All Han could do was chuckle, because he didn't wear armour at all. What he needed was just his dagger, a powerful and refined Damascus slotted in a holder by his waist.

After Gale cleaned up his armour, he and Han went to the Knights' Association to find out how to become a knight. When he found out that to become a knight, he would have to overcome many physical and mental challenges, he decided to train hard to withstand all that the test would throw at him. The knight in charge of recruitment Kai looked around for a merchant selling cheap arrows and as night fell, the three returned to the inn, where they discussed what to do for the next few days. They planned to head for Payon to train in the dungeon instead of the places where they currently trained, which they were getting tired of. They wanted new adventures and experiences, instead of training in the desert forever.

They marched their way to Payon for weeks, killing enemies and grabbing loot all the way. "Ohh, man it feels GOOD to be back home! I'm gonna look around the place!" exclaimed Kai as he left the party. Gale slapped his forehead. Han laughed and noticed that Gale's hair was getting longer.

"Why don't you get a stylist to cut it or tie it up for you? It'll only get in the way when you fight..."

"I won't cut my hair! But... I'll settle for tying it."

Han nodded. Gale went to look for a stylist, who neatly tied the area between the middle sections of his hair together, leaving just a small "tail". Gale shrugged and they headed for the Payon dungeon. Outside of the dungeon was Kai, tapping his foot impatiently. Kai shook his head and they headed in together as a party, fighting Zombies and Farmiliars. They soon felt stronger and decided to head for the second then to the third level, where Bonguns and Munaks resided.

Bad decision.

Gale soon found himself surrounded by Munaks and Bonguns, who were hopping toward him steadily. He drew his sixfold-upgraded Bastard Sword, knowing full well that it wouldn't make too much of a difference. Kai was using repeated Arrow Showers, but the only thing Han could do was attack the aggressors repeatedly at a fast rate. He couldn't do much else; poison was the last thing one would want to use against an undead being.

Just when it seemed hopeless, the Lord showed mercy as two acolytes healed the undeads, saving the entire party from certain death. The entire party profusely thanked the two acolytes.

"I'm Yavanna and this is Ronald," said the female acolyte, pointing to her male companion. Evidently, Ronald didn't like the idea of helping people he thought wouldn't need help. He gestured for her to make a move, but she slapped him.

"We're acolytes! We're supposed to help people in need!" Yavanna exclaimed, her voice echoing throughout the dungeon. The three-man party stared in awe as Ronald rubbed the red patch on his cheek. "What kind of attitude is this? You think they can handle everything thrown at them?! Well then why don't you go try getting yourself surrounded?!" He sighed and nodded reluctantly as Yavanna apologized for her companion's behaviour. They introduced themselves to each other, then they made their way forward slowly, beating up the undead creatures. For days they were in the Payon dungeons. They decided to leave the dungeons, but they were stopped by a group of assassins.

"No... NO!" shouted Han. The assassins grabbed Han and knocked out the rest of the party with a smoke bomb. The party awoke shortly, having been knocked out because of smoke inhalation. Gale coughed, still feeling a little giddy. He woke Kai up as the acolytes cast "Cure" on them.

"What was all that about?!" asked Yavanna.

"I don't know! Han never got in trouble... I don't see why assassins would want to capture him!" replied Gale as he and Kai stood up. Ronald shook his head and made his way out of the dungeon with the rest of the party in tow.

"Well... where do we go now?" asked Kai.

"I don't know. We should try to look for Han, but... Morroc's rather dangerous right now," said Yavanna.

"Why's that?" inquired Gale.

"Well... I hear that tombs and graves have been emptied for some reason, and there has been unusual monster activity in the Pyramids and the Sphinx..." she replied.

"Unusual monster activity... Could it be...?" Kai wondered.

"Hmm? 'Could it be...?'? What do you mean?" questioned Ronald.

"Never mind," replied Kai. He and Gale nodded at each other, then told the acolytes that they were headed for Morroc. Once again, Ronald was reluctant, but Yavanna gave him a cold, hard stare. Ronald slapped his forehead and agreed. Yavanna's expression immediately changed to a happy one. The party made for Morroc...

Two weeks later, they finally arrived in Morroc and after a night of rest, they decided to investigate the Pyramids. They headed in, beating up all enemies in their way. Then, they reached a dead end. They turned back and saw that a wall of spikes was closing in from in front. As the sound of stone against stone got louder, the party grew more desperate. They were feeling the walls and floor for any movable tiles. Kai's hand eventually slipped and pushed against one of the tiles. The wall in front of them collapsed, revealing a long path. The party dashed for their lives. The acolytes increased the party's agility, increasing their running speed. Traps were sprung everywhere. Javelins flew out from the walls and ceiling every so often, as did arrows. Drainliars and Skeletons stood in their way as boulders came out from large openings in the walls. Eventually, they came to a fork in the path, both paths leading upwards. Kai and Ronald went through one side, whereas Yavanna and Gale headed through the other.

(NOTE: The two events happen at the same time)

[Kai's Path]

Kai and Ronald looked in front of them and saw an army of Mummies in wait. Kai immediately took out his silver arrows and launched a shower of arrows trailing a white, holy light as Ronald grabbed his powerful Sword-mace and beat down the Mummies. The Mummies continued to trudge down the stone path toward the two of them. Kai suddenly had an idea. He asked Ronald to lure the Mummies together and Kai would finish them off in one move. Ronald was against risking his life.

"Got any better ideas?" questioned Kai, using Charge Arrow on a Mummy. Ronald slapped his forehead and did as he was asked. He buffed himself with a good increase in agility and he sought the blessings of God, then he went ahead to draw the Mummies toward him. The plan worked. Kai sat down and took out items from his pouch and also took out a knife and began doing something.

The Mummies were now following Ronald like a pack of wolves after their prey. "KAAAAIII!!!! Anytime now!!!" shouted Ronald.

Kai stood up, bow in hand after a while as Ronald ran past him. He grabbed a few arrows and got ready to shoot.

"Arrow Storm!" shouted Kai as he let fly 7 arrows with flaming tips, 7 arrows enchanted with wind and 7 arrows with gleaming silver tips. The wind arrows tore through the area with great speed, creating a vacuum-like effect that drew the flames to the Mummies. Kai's gamble worked. The Mummies' bandages caught fire because of the wind arrows drawing the fire in the right directions and also, the 7 silver arrows hit 7 Mummies that flailed wildly, causing the fire to spread even further. After the blaze died down, Ronald heaved a sigh of relief. Kai grinned and turned to face Ronald.

"That was a close one."

"I've never seen such a skill being used!"

"I just... invented one. Hehehe."

Ronald shrugged and suggested that they move on. Move on they did, and they came to a chamber with a flight of stairs leading upward to a pillar with all sorts of hieroglyphs and a coffin-like object in front of it. They saw...

[Gale's Path]

Gale and Yavanna dashed up the stone pathway as the boulder crashed into the small section of wall, sealing the two paths.

"Guess we're stuck here, eh?"

"We've got more pressing matters on our hands!" exclaimed a frightened Yavanna who pointed at the army of skeletons in front of them. Gale grabbed his sword and readied for battle. A rain of arrows was the prelude to the battle that was to ensue. Yavanna cast Pneuma, rendering the arrow attacks useless. Gale then charged through the many lines of Soldier Skeletons, creating openings for Yavanna to run through. She dashed through the gaps created, but as she ran past Gale, an Archer Skeleton shot an arrow at her. Gale jumped from his position into the line of fire and took the arrow in his forearm. Yavanna, whose eyes were closed throughout the entire happening, looked at Gale, who ripped the arrow from his arm as more arrows rained down on them.

Gale's armoured padding couldn't hold out against the arrows. He suddenly went into a frenzied rampage, dashing around to slice and dice all the skeletons. His movements were too fast and powerful for the skeletons to even fight back properly. After a few minutes, Gale stopped moving and swinging his katana. He balanced himself on his katana, one knee on the ground. Yavanna walked up to him and healed his injuries, which felt better after a while. They weren't entirely healed, but it would have to do until Gale could receive proper treatment. They moved on to a chamber with a flight of stairs leading to a pillar covered in hieroglyphs with a coffin-like object in front of it.

They saw...

[Back to normal]

Dark energy flowing down the stairs. Yavanna sensed an invisible evil presence and cast Ruwach, revealing hidden undead assassins around them. Gale fought his way to the main staircase with Yavanna supporting him. He deflected the undead assassins' katar strikes and dagger slashes as best he could. Gale's forearm padding, which was already damaged, was slashed in half by one of the undead assassins, grazing his arm in the process. Gale flinched and was almost struck by a Sonic Blow, but Kai shot silver arrows at the aggressor, instantly rescuing the soul of the undead. Gale looked in Kai's direction. Yavanna healed Gale, who continued to fight the assassins around him on the stairs, who were dodging all his strikes. Kai unleashed another Arrow Storm followed by a shower of silver arrows that also released the souls of the assassins from the agony of death. Gale turned around to face an Isis, who raised its arm to strike Gale. He was struck down and rolled down the staircase.

Ronald and Kai picked him up as Yavanna healed the party. Kai used Charge Arrow several times on the Isis, knocking it into a wall and killing it as it left great bloodstains. The coffin opened. Out came a mummy emitting a dark glow against the torches that lit the place. The mummy raised its arm and the dead Isis came back to life. Pools of darkness appeared on the floor and out came skeletons, mummies and other undead creatures along with several Isis. The party feared for their lives. As the undead army approached, Kai desperately tried to hold them back with his arrows, but he soon ran out of them.

"Is this the end for us?" wondered Kai silently. Then, a figure burst out of the army of undead creatures, knocking down every single one of them with great speed. The figure didn't stop in time for them to see it, but it went back and destroyed the entire undead army single-handedly. The figure turned around. Gale noticed something familiar about his hairstyle and hair colour. The figure removed his mask...

He was...

Tian Han.


	2. What Have You Conquered Today?

The Conquerors

"Everyone dies, but not everyone truly lives."

"To conquer your fears is to live. To be conquered by fear is to die."

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING HERE except my characters, my own skills and my story. Also, certain characters like Yavanna and Ronald belong to my friends. XD The rest all belongs to the great Lee Myung-Jin and Gravity. oo;

All intellectual property apart from what Lee Myung-Jin and Gravity own is copyright to ME. =P

Chapter 2

What Have You Conquered Today?

"Han... You became an assassin!" said a surprised Gale. Han only nodded and replaced his mask, then got ready to fight again. The mummy at the top of the stairs raised its arm once again and the defeated undead arose to fight once more. Han dashed into the fray, slashing and cutting the enemies in his way. Gale stood on his feet and retrieved his sword, as an Isis approached. It pulled its arm back, but before it could thrust its arm to mash Gale's head, its upper torso went missing. Han turned around and jumped back into the mass of enemies. A dark figure was seen floating into the air and disappearing.

"Well don't just stand there, Gale! We have to do something!" shouted Kai as he unleashed multiple silver arrows at once into the mob of enemies.

"This is getting nowhere. We... We've got stop the source of these enemies! That's... the mummy on top!" Yavanna suggested. Kai looked up and shot single silver arrow at it. Its arm smacked the arrow aside. Kai gritted his teeth and growled. Gale cut down the enemies near him and when the mob cleared and the noise died down, unintelligible chants echoed throughout the chamber. For a few seconds it was soft and unintelligible, but the sounds grew louder. As the monsters began reappearing, the chants became proper words.

"The winds shall blow and the waters shall freeze! All of this is but a gentle breeze! Storm Gust!" came a shout from Yavanna's right. A small but powerful blizzard formed and pummelled the undead army until they crumbled. Han looked back and saw a wizard who didn't wear what his class would normally wear. Instead, he wore a white shirt, white trousers, a belt and a white trenchcoat.

"Jikuu..." thought Han. He dashed up the stairs with Kai and Gale behind him. He stopped in front of the mummy and heard a murmur of "Osiris... Osiris...".

A bright blue aura surrounded Han as he pulled his arms to his chest then unleashed eight unceasing sideway katar strikes followed by one spinning katar slash that hit the mummy on its waist area. Gale looked on in awe as Han nimbly dodged Osiris' fast punches while retaliating. He dashed forward and slashed at the mummy as well. The wizard, Jikuu, was on the stairs. He simply outstretched his palm to face Osiris, the mummy. He closed his eyes and spoke in tongues again, and then a pillar of fire erupted from underneath Osiris. Osiris flailed around in the strong flames, but couldn't escape the flames. When the flames went out, all that was left of Osiris was a bunch of burnt and rotting bandages. Han turned to face Jikuu and narrowed his eyes.

"Why are you here?" asked Han.

"I heard of the complete wipe-out of the assassins' guild in the pyramids. I came to check and see what happened, then I saw that the assassins were undead, confirming my suspicions."

"Suspicions?" inquired Kai.

"I suspected that the rising number of undead enemies was caused by an Evil Druid who was raising the dead," came the reply.

"Evil Druid?" asked Ronald. "I've heard of it during my lessons in the Saint Capitolina Abbey, but I've never seen or heard of it doing things like this!"

"The Prontera Libraries are full of information. You should know this, being an acolyte. You first became an acolyte in the Prontera Sanctuary, did you not?"

"Enough talk. We have to leave immediately; Osiris won't stay dead for long," said Han as he went down the staircase. The rest of the party agreed and they headed to Morroc for a rest. In the Morroc inn, they sat down at a table for a good meal and a talk.

"Say... who ARE you?" Gale asked Jikuu.

"I am Jikuu, a wizard who has mastered all the offensive elemental magic spells. Han knows me for a good reason."

Han was speechless. He put down his cutlery and explained what had happened in those weeks that he was captured.

"I was put through a battery of tests. The assassins threw me into dangerous places full of hostility where I had to fend for myself with only a dagger. They tested my physical and mental strength by making me fight my way from a dungeon back into the assassins' guild with nothing else other than my equipment. I didn't have a choice. If I didn't do as they told me to, they either would kill me or leave me to die and become one of the undead. I certainly didn't want to die, so I didn't have much choice but to fight my way through. I previously feared the sight of dead people, but I have come to terms with fear. When I returned to the assassins' guild, they initiated me into the assassins' guild... But that's when everything happened. A goat-like creature just appeared and slashed at everyone in the guild. Only a few and myself managed to escape the carnage. The other assassins have since gone missing..." said Han. The others could only nod in understanding.

Han shook his head and continued eating. Gale looked at his wounds.

"Man, you need to get those treated!" said Kai, walking in with bottles of medicine and some bandages. Kai used the green bottle to disinfect his wounds, then used a red one to speed up the healing process of his wounds, then bandaged them. The acolytes used their healing powers to aid Gale in his recovery. Gale wanted to return to Prontera... He wanted to acquire more power to protect his friends and to conquer his fears.

Night fell.

[Gale's POV]

It's coming...

What is it?

It's... a monster?

A scythe...

A goat...

Baphomet...

Eh? Complete darkness...

Me...

Who am I...?

**WHAT** am I?

"**You are not human, demon or god!"**

Who are you?

"**It is not a question of who I am. It is a question of who YOU are."**

What about me?

"**You are not who and what you think you are."**

What do you mean?!

"**You have been bestowed human sensation, behaviour and urges... But in fact you are not human."**

This is... not possible! How can I not be human?! Then what am I?!

"**It is a matter of time before you find out. Soon... you shall see."**

Darkness... once again.

Gale woke up from his dream. The desert air was chilly at night. He washed up and got ready for the next day.

"Not human... Not demon... Not god... What am I?" wondered Gale.

Later, the party met for breakfast and headed for Prontera. It was a slow, weeklong trip across the Sograt Desert. Yavanna fainted due to sheer exhaustion, much to Ronald's surprise. He was the one carrying all her items, after all. The excited acolyte dropped his baggage to help her. He carried her the piggyback way, with Han carrying all the luggage left behind. When they arrived in Prontera, Ronald immediately brought her to the inn to let her rest. Han placed their baggage in the room he paid for, then left and sat at the fountains. Gale, who was only wearing his armour and carrying his sword, headed for the Knights' association. He requested to take the test of knighthood.

"Alright, Gale... You will face many challenges, which you may not overcome today. Overcoming odds takes time, determination and patience, essential qualities of a knight. The first challenge will be to defeat our recruitment knight, Sir Weston. Sir Weston?" said the recruitment official. Gale nodded as Sir Weston approached and told him to go to the pathway for a duel to decide whether Gale was fit to become a knight.

"I'm ready when you are..." said Sir Weston with a grin. Gale pulled out his refined Bastard Sword and got ready to attack. He was puzzled, because Weston wasn't drawing his weapon.

"I'm ready!" shouted Gale. As soon as he finished the word "ready", Weston was already 3 feet away from him instead of several metres from his position. As Gale slashed down, Weston dodged to the side and delivered a kick to Gale's waist, sending him flying into a tree. The crowd watching Gale and Weston roared as Gale got up and lunged toward Weston and slashed to the side. Weston blocked the strike with the sheath of his katana and struck Gale to the ground with it. Gale stood on his feet again.

"What's the matter? Giving up?" asked Weston with a grin.

"Never!" replied Gale, dashing forward and spin-slashing Weston, who once again blocked with the sheath of his katana.

"That's the spirit, young man! But don't let it get to your head," continued Weston as he broke the weapon deadlock and turned around to elbow Gale in the solar plexus. Gale's eyes widened as he slid back from the blow. Gale got up again. Weston smiled, knowing full well that Gale, like many other swordsmen, would fail the initial phase of the test.

"It's amazing that Gale is still standing after all those hits..." thought the recruitment official. "He'll make a fine knight when he passes the test."

Gale grabbed his abdomen with one hand. The pain in his solar plexus was becoming unbearable. He was lucky that the blow wasn't that hard, or it would have been fatal. He grabbed his sword again and attacked Weston who struck the sword aside and punched Gale's chin upwards, causing him to fall. Gale couldn't move; he was paralysed by the punch to his chin.

"Good try, Gale. Perhaps you should train more then try again," said the recruitment official as he walked out of the Knights' Association building, clapping his hands. The crowd dispersed and went about their usual business as the recruitment official helped him to recover from the attack. Weston also tended to Gale, who recovered shortly after.

"How did you do that?" asked Gale.

"There are many vital points in your body, my friend. Hit the wrong one and there goes one life," replied Weston as he walked back into the building. Gale got up and headed back.

"Give it another try in a few days, Gale! Nobody wins on the first try!" shouted the recruitment official as Gale walked back to the inn. For three days, as Gale thought for long periods of time how to fight Weston and finally, he came up with a plan. He bought a katana and trained with it for the next few days to get accustomed to it, then headed back to take on Weston.

"Are you ready, Gale?" asked Weston. Gale jumped forward and low-kicked Weston, who blocked the attack with the sheath of his katana. Gale had at the same time raised the sheath of his katana in the air and brought it down on Weston's neck. Weston fell to the ground and got up again.

"Well done, Gale. Few of my opponents have managed to hit my neck," commented Weston as he zipped forward and delivered a punch to Gale's lower sternum. Gale blocked with the side of his katana's sheath and pulled the blade out while spinning to strike Weston's neck again. The flat reverse-edge slammed into Weston's neck. His head was flung aside as Gale kicked the back of his knee, causing him to fall to the ground. Weston jumped back up and punched Gale while dashing. Gale managed to dodge the punch and backhanded Weston's neck while spinning, knocking him unconscious. The crowd roared, clapped and cheered as the recruitment official walked toward Gale and offered a handshake. Gale re-sheathed his katana and shook the official's hand.

"Congratulations, Gale! You have passed the first part of the knighthood test! You may go home to rest today while I attend to Sir Weston. Not many have been able to hit his neck thrice in one duel," said the official, breaking the handshake and assisting Weston in getting up. Gale nodded and walked back to the inn happily.

That night, over dinner, the two acolytes suddenly got up.

"We're leaving," said Yavanna.

"Yeah... I'm gonna become a monk!" added Ronald, punching his left palm with his gloved fist.

"I'm gonna be a priestess!" exclaimed Yavanna, who nudged Ronald and waved goodbye to the party. Kai nodded and stood up as well.

"I'm leaving for now... I'll meet you again soon! Good luck on becoming a knight!" said Kai as he grabbed his belongings and left.

"Tian Han and I... we have some issues to attend to in Glast Heim. We're leaving now, Gale. Sorry, but you're on your own until we return. We hope to hear good news in the coming months!" said Jikuu as he stood up with Han. Han turned around and put a hand on Gale's shoulder, then walked off with Jikuu.

Gale sat alone at the table, thinking long and hard. He went back up to rest and he had yet another dream.

[Gale's POV]

"**You are not human, demon or god."**

What am I?

"**You are the physical human manifestation of The Conqueror."**

Conqueror?

"In every person is the ability to overcome odds and phobias. You are THE Conqueror. What have you conquered today? You have overcome the task of defeating a powerful knight... But will you conquer what is ahead?"

What IS ahead?

"That... you will have to wait and see."

Who are you?

"I am the one you call... God."

Truly... Your judgement cannot be wrong.

Gale awoke again. Another dream. Was he really communicating with God? He wondered for a few minutes before he went back to sleep.


	3. Overcoming Odds

The Conquerors

"Everyone dies, but not everyone truly lives."

"To conquer your fears is to live. To be conquered by fear is to die."

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING HERE except my characters, my own skills and my story. Also, certain characters like Yavanna and Ronald belong to my friends. XD The rest all belongs to the great Lee Myung-Jin and Gravity. oo;

All intellectual property apart from what Lee Myung-Jin and Gravity own is copyright to ME. =P

Chapter 3

Overcoming Odds

Ronald and Yavanna headed out of the inn that night. They decided that Ronald would first complete his training to become a monk, then Yavanna would become a priestess.

They camped in a small clearing in the woods. Ronald made a fire to last the night and Yavanna got ready to sleep.

"So... Do you think you can handle the training to become a monk?" asked Yavanna. Ronald nodded in agreement as he covered himself with his blanket.

"I hope it won't be too hard..." mumbled Ronald as he drifted off into sleep.

Ronald was hoping against hope. When he returned to the Saint Capitolina Abbey, Master Yong was training the acolytes who were to become monks. Ronald looked at their training and dropped his baggage as his eyes widened. They were doing one-handed push-ups, sprinting long distances and carrying all sorts of heavy objects up and down the stairs leading to the monastery.

"Welcome back, Ronald. Have you come to train to be a monk?" asked Master Yong. Ronald excitedly nodded. Master Yong handed him a few sets of clothing and told him to immediately change into one of those. Ronald complied and immediately put on his new clothes and began his training.

For weeks, Yavanna watched as Ronald carried two pails of water balanced on a wooden pole supported by his shoulders up and down the monastery's stairs 50 times, followed by long-distance sprinting up and down the hills and around the forest outside of the Abbey and then sparring sessions with other monks-in-training.

After all that training, it had become a routine to Ronald, who was looking for more challenges. One night, Master Yong wanted to test the results of Ronald's training. Master Yong dressed in more flexible garb and told Ronald to initiate the sparring session. Many of the monks-in-training and senior monks watched as Ronald fought with Master Yong.

Master Yong was delivering powerful kicks and punches that Ronald tried his best to block and dodge. Master Yong then stopped and told Ronald to attack in an identical manner. Ronald thrust his fist forward while lunging, but Master Yong simply held his wrist as he moved forward, then spun around, using the momentum of his spin and Ronald's forward movement to throw Ronald several metres away.

"Do not fight force with force, instead be one with the force and be the master of the force," said Master Yong. Ronald got up, wiping blood from the corner of his lips.

"Be one with the force, you say..." mumbled Ronald as Master Yong jump-kicked forward. Ronald focused, closing his eyes. As Master Yong approached, he held onto Master Yong's leg and dragged him down. Master Yong pushed off the ground with his hands as he approached the stone floor and back-flipped in the air, then landed on his feet.

"Well done, Ronald. You have learnt well from these few weeks of training," commented Master Yong. He stood with his right leg pulled back and right fist at his waist, fingers facing the night sky. He suddenly jumped forward, arm pulled back and right leg in front. He let fly an extremely powerful punch at Ronald, who reacted by ducking under Master Yong's arm and pulling him to the ground. Master Yong landed flat on his back. Ronald went to assist him and found that Master Yong was fine.

"Ronald... You have done well. I will impart to you the most powerful skill of the monks... The skill manual is in the graveyard, but you will have to fight your way to it. Powerful demons await you. Ronald nodded and headed into the graveyard as his companions watched. Yavanna woke up after all the noise and headed for the graveyard. She saw the Ronald was fighting well and smiled. Suddenly, all the monsters disappeared. The monks stepped forward and saw that Ronald was in front of an image of himself.

"Doppelganger? What's it doing here?" asked Yavanna, surprised.

"I have requested his assistance in training my monks. I made a deal with him, because he was afraid of being destroyed. In return for my ensuring of his safety, he agreed to take the form of the monks who were to learn the ultimate monk skill, the Asura Strike," replied Master Yong.

Ronald kicked and punched the Doppelganger, who blocked every hit with amazing speed and accuracy. The Doppelganger then launched its own attacks, which Ronald found difficult to counter.

"Remember, Ronald! Be one with the opposing force!" shouted Master Yong. Ronald closed his eyes and stood still to focus on his opponent. The Doppelganger ran forward and aimed for Ronald's solar plexus. Ronald moved aside and grabbed the Doppelganger's forearm as it went forward, then twisted his hips and moved his leg back while tossing the Doppelganger into the wall. The wall crumbled and the Doppelganger disappeared. In the hole left by the Doppelganger was the manual for the skill Asura Strike. The monks-in-training clapped for Ronald as Master Yong stepped forward. He proceeded to teach Ronald the exact execution of the skill.

The next day, there was a ceremony to commemorate the success of Ronald's batch of acolytes in becoming monks. Ronald received the top honour for having both defeated Master Yong and the Doppelganger. Ronald excitedly looked for Yavanna who congratulated him on his success. Ronald hugged her in joy, but he got slapped.

"Don't do that!" shouted Yavanna. Ronald nodded and picked up their belongings.

"Well... where do we go now?" asked Ronald, walking toward the abbey gates. Yavanna was going to become a priestess, so she told Ronald to head for Prontera.

And go to Prontera they did. Yavanna headed for the Sanctuary in Prontera to become a priestess.

"Miss Yavanna... You wish to become a priestess... That is correct?" asked the senior priest.

"Yes, Father. I wish to become a priestess."

"What is your reason for becoming a priestess?"

"I want to help people in need and I want to protect my friends."

"Very well. Kindly step into the vault for the next test."

Yavanna did as instructed.

"This is the Nine Evils Test... Good luck," said the priest as the door slammed shut and the vault closed. The only sources of light were dim chandeliers on the ceiling of the room. A floating figure appeared and revealed itself.

"I am Mistress... If you don't take the test, I'll give you a precious item!" it said. Yavanna was at first attracted, but slapped herself mentally.

"_Come on, girl! You're here to become a priestess to help your friends, not to be selfish!"_ she mentally told herself. Yavanna looked away and the Mistress vanished as quickly as it came. Yavanna walked forward to face a Baphomet.

"If you help me to destroy mankind... I will bestow upon you great power and riches!" it said with a sinister grin.

Yavanna shook her head and stepped back fearfully. The Baphomet approached her, but she looked away and asked God for help. Instantly, the Baphomet disappeared in a burst of smoke. She cleared the smoke with her hand and walked toward the door at the end of the hallway, overcoming the temptations that the various monsters offered.

She opened the door and saw the priest standing there.

"Congratulations, you have passed the Nine Evils Test. Now, I have to put you through another test. You must deliver this Holy Grail safely to Mother Clarissa and you mustn't under any circumstances let go of the Grail to do anything else or speak any words until Mother Clarissa is in possession of the Grail," he said. Yavanna nodded and took hold of the Holy Grail and went down another hallway and down a flight of stairs. She walked on and on and suddenly saw a large floating creature with a gaping mouth at its abdominal area. It laughed as she ran from it, desperately trying to escape. More of the same creatures appeared. They surrounded her and she wanted so desperately to cast some magic spells to protect herself, but remembering the priest's words, she didn't. She prayed in her heart for God's help and dashed right through one of them and ran down the path.

"_Illusions?"_ she thought. She continued running and saw Mother Clarissa. She was so relieved to see her as she stopped running and handed the Grail to her.

"Congratulations, my child. You have successfully passed the Test Of Fears. Now, go to Father Terrus, he will initiate the ceremony for your priesthood," said Mother Clarissa. Yavanna went up the flight of stairs and knelt in front of Father Terrus.

"My child, you wish to be a priestess?" asked Father Terrus.

"Yes, Father. I want to be a priestess."

"What will you do if someone asks you for help?"

"I will do my utmost to assist him or her."

"Will you expect repayment for helping that person?"

"No, Father. It is more blessed to give than to receive."

"If anyone were to hurt you, would you bear a grudge?"

"No, Father. It is better to forgive others than to cause more evil to exist in this corrupt world."

"I see you have reached the level of understanding fitting of a priestess. I hereby announce that Yavanna is now a priestess! You may collect your new uniform at the garment shop. Take this piece of paper and show it to the shop's owner," said Father Terrus.

"Thank you, Father," said Yavanna as she rose and walked out of the Sanctuary. She and Ronald went to collect her uniform.

"Wow... you look really good in that dress!" said Ronald. Yavanna blushed and looked away.

"You're just saying that to make me happy," replied Yavanna as she walked out of the shop.

"No, I mean it! You look really good!" Ronald continued. Yavanna giggled and blushed even more. Ronald and Yavanna strolled around and eventually saw a notice on a wall with the heading reading:

LOOKING FOR M.I.A SWORDSMAN 

Yavanna looked at Ronald and saw the portrait of Gale.

"Swordsman went missing during Knighthood Test. Requesting for brave souls to search for him in Glast Heim," read Ronald.

"We should go! After all, he was the one who saved me from an arrow! And besides... We should be helping people in need! That's the basic lesson we were taught by Father Rubalkabara, remember?"

Ronald was speechless. He only nodded his head. Yavanna smiled and hugged Ronald, drawing screams and shouts of "WHOO!!!" from the crowds around. Yavanna let go and cleared her throat.

"When do we leave?" asked Ronald.

"Now," she replied. Ronald slapped his forehead and agreed.


	4. The Conqueror Revealed

The Conquerors

Chapter 4

The Conqueror Revealed

"Everyone dies, but not everyone truly lives."

"To conquer your fears is to live. To be conquered by fear is to die."

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING HERE except my characters, my own skills and my story. Also, certain characters like Yavanna and Ronald belong to my friends. XD The rest all belongs to the great Lee Myung-Jin and Gravity. oo;

All intellectual property apart from what Lee Myung-Jin and Gravity own is copyright to ME. =P

Gale stepped into the room where he was going to take his test to be a Knight. He fought and charged through the first few levels and thought it would be home free after the next level. However, it was not to be. He was soon overwhelmed by enemies and was struck to the ground, his Bastard Sword flying out of his hand and dropping down into the abyss beneath. He gulped and got up, still surrounded. He edged back and almost slipped into the darkness. He looked left and right. Seeing no way out, he jumped back and into the dark pit below. He thought he'd died... But in actual fact, he landed on a dead body with a ball and chain attached to it.

A priestess and monk stepped into the Glast Heim castle grounds. They proceeded inside, only to see several tough monsters awaiting them. They turned tail and ran, but outside was a dark figure on a horse.

"Lord Of Death..." mumbled the monk.

"Ronald... We're trapped..."

"Support me then, Yavanna. We'll get out of here."

Yavanna nodded and prayed for him to be blessed by the Lord. He then attacked and unleashed a long chain of combo attacks on the Lord Of Death, who couldn't move fast enough to hit Ronald. Finally, Ronald stopped and moved in front of the LOD again. He attacked once, then thrice, then four times and finally unleashed a downward punch, shouting "WAY OF THE DRAGON". He landed and then got into another attack stance. He closed his eyes for a while and lunged forward, punching hard while shouting "ASURA STRIKE". The dust cleared. The LOD stood unharmed, but without its shield.

"NO WAY!" shouted Ronald as the LOD struck him aside with its lance. Worried, Yavanna rushed to his aid. Carats and Jokers blocked her from approaching Ronald. She saw the LOD pull its arm back.

"NO!!!" she screamed. Its arm drove its lance forward. Yavanna saw nothing as she was blocked by the monsters, but Ronald's yell of pain echoed throughout the whole of Glast Heim. It began to rain. A figure cloaked in black jumped down from the top of the Glast Heim castle wall and kicked the enemies aside, then stood in front of the Lord Of Death.

"Go," he said, pulling out a katana.

"But what about you?! You saw how he died, didn't you?!" Yavanna exclaimed. She turned to run, but was once again blocked by the monsters. An assassin suddenly appeared and cut the monsters to shreds in a single move. He then stood up and said, "Come." Yavanna nodded and followed obediently, looking back at the figure, who was standing in stance showing that he was ready for battle. She turned and ran with the assassin.

The hooded figure charged forward with fast, wide steps and slashed sideways, then spin-slashed the LOD. It blocked the attacks dealt by the figure and brought its lance down upon him. He blocked all the LOD's attacks with his katana, just barely managing to remain there. He struggled to hold up the lance of the LOD. He thought he was doomed, but suddenly, there was a shout of "Double Strafing" and two arrows, tips shimmering with glorious light, tore through the air and hit the LOD's left arm. Then, a falcon zipped down and attacked it, followed by an arrow speeding towards and striking the LOD knocking it back a few metres. The figure turned behind to see a hunter with a familiar face.

"Kai?"

The hunter nodded. The figure was surprised. He pulled back his hood... He was...

"Gale."

Gale looked at Kai with a puzzled expression. Kai shot a few arrows past Gale's head at the LOD. Gale, surprised, turned and jumped forward to slash the LOD. It swung its lance sideways, hitting Gale, who slammed into a wall. Kai shot an arrow, knocking the LOD back while he went to Gale's aid. Gale got up and dashed forward at the LOD again. The LOD pulled back its arm and pushed forward to impale its lance into Gale. A resounding clang of metal was heard. An assassin stood in front of Gale, katars crossed to block the LOD's lance. Gale took the opportunity to jump forth and cut the LOD's arm. The katana drew dark, shimmering blood from the LOD. Kai let loose a flurry arrows at the open wound as Tian Han dodged the LOD's panicked blow. Tian Han ran forward and sliced with his katars 8 times before impaling his right katar into the LOD's neck area. The LOD shouted in agony and shook Tian Han off. Gale jumped up and sliced the wound in its neck. The LOD struck him down with its lance after he struck its wound.

Gale was hit again. He landed on his chest and got up. He dashed forward and slashed sideways, dealing a mighty Bowling Bash. The LOD was knocked a few steps aside as Kai shot a few arrows at its neck and Tian Han leapt forward to strike its neck once more. This hopeless process went on for a long time. Suddenly, pillars of electrical energy tore through the ground from under the LOD, electrocuting it. Gale turned and saw a wizard with different clothes from the norm. Tian Han spun around, releasing his katars to let them slam into the LOD's head. They hit the LOD, attracting its attention and returned to his arms.

"Jikuu... It's you," said Gale. Jikuu was silent. He raised an arm up, then brought it down as meteors came crashing down on the LOD. It was hit, but not visibly affected. Its blood stained its silverish armour as it came closer to Jikuu. Gale stood to the left of Jikuu and Kai was on Jikuu's right. Tian Han was in front, dodging the lance of the LOD. A ball of lightning slammed into the LOD, knocking it back. Gale jumped and struck the aside head of the LOD's steed, Kai shot two arrows into its exposed neck wound and Tian Han leapt up toward the LOD and span one round with his arms outstretched then landed behind the LOD. The LOD's head fell to the ground first, then its body crumbled along with its steed.

Han looked back at Jikuu, who in turn looked at Gale. Han went to pick up Ronald's body and carried it on his shoulder. Kai stared at Gale for a while, then made the decision to return to Prontera. They headed out of the Glast Heim castle gates where Yavanna waited and trudged back to Prontera.

"Gale?! It's you... Ronald and I were looking for you after we read the notice in Prontera."

"We read the notice too. We were supposed to be investigating the mysterious disappearances of knights-to-be and found leads on the bodies of Zombie Prisoners that carried the Kingdom Star burnt onto their backs," said Jikuu.

"I read the notice and decided to go to Glast Heim to look for you when I saw the battle already raging... You seem to love having fun without me joining in, Gale," joked Kai. Gale was in no laughing mood.

"Gale, I'm just wondering... How did you survive in Glast Heim for so many months?" asked Jikuu.

"I am not human, demon or god," was the reply.

"I don't understand, Gale."

"God himself explained to me in my dreams that I was a human manifestation of The Conqueror, an entity existent in all people but appearing only in times of impending catastrophe. He said Himself that I was only given human sensation, urges and behaviour."

Yavanna watched as a blue gemstone in her hand disintegrated and a portal formed on the ground leading to the forest just north of Prontera. The party stepped into it and continued their walk.

Yavanna was staring at the ground while walking as if in deep thought. They reached the Prontera Sanctuary graveyard, where many valiant warriors lay in peace. Han lay Ronald's body on an unoccupied area of the graveyard. Yavanna cried and wailed the instant she saw Ronald's body. Jikuu lifted the broken priestess to her feet as Han entered the Sanctuary to look for a priest. Jikuu held Yavanna by the shoulders and gave her a light shaking.

"Wake up! He's dead! You can't do anything to change that fact, Yavanna!" he said as the sobbing priestess fell onto him, wailing and crying. He stood still and speechless as Han led Master Yong, who was on a visit to Prontera, and a senior priest to the graveyard.

"Oh dear Lord... Ronald... What happened?"

"Master, he was killed in Glast Heim," replied Gale. Master Yong bent down and inspected Ronald's wound.

"He was... killed by... the Lord Of Death, wasn't he?" asked Master Yong. Yavanna approached and tried to resurrect Ronald after she had calmed down a bit. She failed repeatedly and crumbled to her knees, crying once more.

"He can't be revived, Yavanna... Anyone who has been killed by the Lord of Death will never live again, for the Lord of Death strikes the soul of his victims. Anyone stabbed by his lance... Is doomed. Their souls will be tarnished forever," commented the senior Priest. Yavanna kept crying as the senior priest dispatched an acolyte to prepare everything for Ronald's burial. Less than half an hour later, Ronald was laid in a brown coffin with a cross carved in, covering the whole length of the coffin. The grave was dug and the coffin laid inside as the priest read verses from the Bible and prayed for Ronald's soul to be saved. Yavanna couldn't stop crying as the earth filled the grave once again.

Gale removed a Claymore he had in a sheath at his waist hidden by his Ragamuffin Manteau and planted it at the head of Ronald's grave like a cross. The party left for the inn to rest and for days, Yavanna was often in front of Ronald's grave, deep in prayer. Kai would always accompany her to ensure that nothing went wrong. Gale and Han would be sparring in the open spaces south of the main city of Prontera, whereas Jikuu would be listening up for the latest rumours about town.

After some time, the city of Prontera seemed to be getting more and more crowded with knights, crusaders, hunters and all sorts of powerful people.

After lunch, Jikuu told the party about the latest news.

"Word has been going around that there's gonna be a war soon... Apparently, strange activity has been detected all around Prontera... And it's human activity for sure, but hostile activity," said Jikuu.

"Well, shouldn't we help out? They could use some additions to their defence force, after all," commented Kai. Gale and Han only nodded. Jikuu turned to face Yavanna, who was in deep thought.

"Yavanna... What do you say?" asked Jikuu.

"I... I'm alright with it. I'll help you guys in any way I can," she said, trying her best to look cheerful. Jikuu smiled and rose to his feet.

"Well, then... I suppose we should look for a guild in need of us, eh?" he asked. The party left the inn and asked around if any guild needed members and soon received an invitation extended by the guild leader of Infinity Arc, an extensive network of guilds.

Yavanna was put with the support sub-guild, Western Light, which comprised of Priests, Priestesses, Sages, Bards and Dancers.

Kai was placed in the long-range support sub-guild, Missile Marauders, comprising of Hunters, Bards and Dancers.

Jikuu was assigned to the magic support sub-guild, Chaos Legion, comprising of Wizards and Sages.

Gale was assigned to the frontline melee sub-guild, Armageddon Crusade, comprising of Knights and Crusaders.

Han was appointed head of the reconnaissance sub-guild, Death Shadow, which comprised of a few Assassins and several Rogues.

They were given time to adjust to their new positions in the guild in preparation for the coming conflict. And conflict came. The guards on the walls of Prontera sounded the alarm one evening and everyone in Prontera who was fit for battle immediately grabbed their weapons and went to get ready for battle. Death Shadow had detected hostility several kilometres from Prontera and alerted the guards. All the guilds got into their positions. Kai and his guild hid in the heavily forested areas east of Prontera with some people from the supportive sub-guilds as Gale headed Armageddon Crusade's defence of the west gate. Other guilds guarded the south and north gates as the sound of stampeding armies could be heard.

(The following events happen at the same time)

[East Gate]

As soon as Kai heard the sound of boots crunching, he turned and saw several lines of Knights on Pecopecos and on foot charging in. He also saw that there were Abyssal Knights and large squads of Hunters behind them. The great numbers of powerful soldiers overwhelmed the east gate. A hail of arrows continuously pelted the defenders as Kai and his Hunter team supported them from the trees. The Wizards and Sages cast magic spells on the hostile enemies to disperse and reduce their numbers, while the bards played and sang synchronised patriotic songs while the dancers gracefully danced to the tunes.

Listening to the songs of loyalty and dedication boosted the morale of the outnumbered eastern defence. They fought back fast and hard, greatly reducing the numbers of hostile enemies. Loud war cries were heard from the gate as the enemies were driven further back. Arrows continued to pelt the east gate, killing or injuring some of the bards and dancers, who continued to sing and dance. Kai led a small team of Hunters through the edge of the forested area behind the cover of the trees and eventually came to where the Abyssal Knights and Hunters stood. Kai told the team to take their silver arrows out and aim carefully at the Abyssal Knights' heads. Kai let fly a silver arrow that pierced right through one of the Abyssal Knights' heads and it instantly disintegrated. The others also shot their silver arrows the same way, but one Abyssal Knight managed to avoid the arrows and charged toward the source of the arrows.

"Retreat!" shouted Kai, unleashing several arrows at once then running off with his team back to the east gate. Kai dropped his bow and fell to his knees when he returned to the east gate. It was a scene of death and destruction. The entire east gate defence had been wiped out, including the bards and dancers, who did their job until their deaths. Kai punched the ground as the rest of the Hunters regrouped and waited as the legion of enemy Knights, Hunters and the remaining Abyssal Knight marched through the east gate toward the fountain.

[West Gate]

The format for each gate was the same; there would be a mixture of guilds' knights and crusaders as the main melee force and the long-range supporting Hunters accompanied by magic-casting Wizards and Sages, followed by morale-boosting Bards and Dancers.

The story of the West Gate was different from that of the East Gate. Meteors came crashing down from the sky, slamming into the ranks of the West Gate defenders. The Sages tried to cast supportive spells to stop the enemy wizards from casting spells, but before they could finish, an assassin had cut their heads clean off in one move. The assassin then faded into the shadows of the trees as the knights desperately tried to get past the crossfire of magic in front of them.

"Gale!" shouted a familiar voice over the commotion. Gale turned to the source of the shout and saw Sir Weston on his Pecopeco with a lance in his hand. "You're alive! We've no time for this; let's go!"

Gale nodded and ran toward the incoming groups of knights with Weston and some Crusaders behind him. Gale struck the ground, creating a shockwave of sorts that knocked the hostile enemies off balance. He then leapt into the air and landed on one knight, driving his katana through a knight's armour, killing the man instantly. Weston trampled one knight with his Pecopeco and impaled another one with his lance as the Crusaders fought with those that had risen to their feet. Gale dashed past the groups of knights toward the wizards, who were nearly finished with their murmuring. He was about to slash them apart when a mine exploded under his feet. He rolled backwards and ended up with his back to a tree. Several arrows flew at him, threatening to end his existence there and then.

A Crusader in the Armageddon Crusade suddenly shouted "Devotion!" and the arrows hit Gale but instead harmed the Crusader. Gale rushed forward and killed the Hunters shooting arrows at him in vain attempts to harm him. Gale cleared the area of all the Wizards and Hunters and turned around to see one of his guild's Knights fighting with a few other Knights.

"Jerald!" Gale shouted, running toward him. By the time he reached them, Jerald was dead. The battle raged on as Weston and Gale fought the knights fiercely. However, the flood of knights never seemed to stop. The numbers of the West Gate defenders were dwindling as time passed. The guild leader of Infinity Arc issued an immediate withdrawal order and Armageddon Crusade had no choice but to retreat. , Having routed the defenders, the enemy Knights continued marching in through the West Gate.

[North Gate]

Armies of undead creatures swarmed North Gate under. Yavanna was posted there to support them, due to her abilities as a Priestess. The other Priests and Priestesses used their powers of exorcism and healing to hold the undead creatures back. The undead armies were easy to handle, but they were in such a great number that the Priests and Priestesses soon got worn out using the same magical spells over and over again. Tired as they were, they continued to use the spells, for they could not fail the people. Suddenly, large groups of zombies and the risen dead came from behind the gate. Yavanna turned around to see Ronald's body walking around at the will of an Evil Druid.

"Ronald... I'll save your soul!" she shouted as a large cross appeared on Ronald's torso.

"Turn Undead!" she shouted. Ronald disintegrated and Yavanna faced the Evil Druid. "Magnus Exorcismus!" she said out loud as a cross shape appeared with the Evil Druid at its centre. A holy light surrounded the Evil Druid and when the light disappeared, there was nothing there. Yavanna turned around and realised that fighting here was pointless, so she suggested retreating. The Knights refused and kept fighting so that the supporters could escape. Soon, the Knights were overpowered and made new additions to the undead army. The undeads approached the large fountain in the middle of Prontera.

[South Gate]

The South Gate came under heavy fire from arrows. The enemy Knights were riding on Pecopecos and charged right into the ranks of defending Knights. Jikuu repeatedly cast offensive spells to keep the enemies at bay while they fought long and hard with the enemy. Just when it seemed hopeless, an entire army of Pecopeco-riding Knights rode in all the way from Izlude and struck the surprised enemy Hunters. Jikuu wasn't one to stand and do nothing; he immediately got to work and cast more area-effect spells. However, it wasn't going to last very long. Jikuu soon got tired, as did the defenders of the South Gate. Their morale was wavering. Jikuu received the order from the leader of Infinity Arc to retreat, and he spread the message. All Infinity Arc members withdrew as the South Gate fell to enemy hands.

(Reverting back to normal)

All the defenders of Prontera retreated to the fountain to regroup and make their last stand. The enemies approached from four sides. The Prontera Cavalry arrived to reinforce the defenders, who were fighting a desperate battle. After much fighting, the defenders were weakening, but the enemies kept coming. Jikuu saw the state of Prontera and decided to do something he hadn't done in a long time – to unseal his true powers.

Jikuu closed his eyes and his arms moved to "draw" a shape in the air with runic glyphs and symbols. All this while, he was chanting unintelligible words and speaking in unknown tongues and when he finished the "drawing", he continued chanting and tore off the Sealing Chain he had around his neck. It was only to be removed under extreme circumstances, for the magic he used would destroy everything if used improperly. Infinity Arc had earlier evacuated the civilians by deploying warp portals leading to Yuno, the city in the sky, so Jikuu knew that he could use his magic without fear of killing innocents. The formation he had drawn above his head expanded in the sky and appeared on the ground, glowing a bright green.

"All who are in the formation are safe from destruction! Now... I will unleash the ultimate powers that I possess! Those who do not wish to die, step into the formation!" Jikuu shouted as he raised his palms to face the air. He then spaced out his legs and put his palms together, then relaxed his left arm. A bluish light surrounded his right forearm. He swung his arm, palm open, to the right from its position above his left shoulder. A trail of great explosions occurred repeatedly around the formation, killing all enemies near it. Jikuu then put both palms on the ground, then earthquakes shook the entire Prontera, levelling many buildings and killing even more enemies.

Jikuu stood up again and raised his arm. He then brought it down and 7 meteor-like beams of light slammed into different spots around the formation, resulting in even greater explosions that made Prontera look like a pizza with 7 cuts from a circle in the middle. The enemies were gone... or so he thought. One man-like figure was hovering above the fountain, watching the defenders rejoice.

"Pitiful mortals," he said as he outstretched his arm, palm toward the fountain. Gale's party had gathered on the fountain during the previous battle. The figure laughed, and explosions suddenly ripped through the area around the fountain, killing or wounding every single person there.

Gale looked up and saw the figure, who was dressed in a tuxedo and wearing a Cape Of Old Marquees.

"Fools, you are... If you wish to live... You will come to me in the city of Frande! Ahahahaha!!!" boomed the man as he disappeared.

"Frande... I've read about that place in the Prontera Library. It's somewhere in the desert between Ant Hell and Morroc..." said Jikuu.

"Well, then... when do we leave?" asked Kai.

"I suggest we go tomorrow," said Yavanna. "Everyone needs a rest, and we need to tend to the wounded."

Gale nodded. The night passed with Infinity Arc's remaining people tending to the wounded and making mass graves for the dead. The journey to Frande would not be easy, as its exact location was unknown. Jikuu however, was sure that he would be able to find more information in the Prontera Library, which fortunately was spared from the death and destruction that reigned the previous night.


	5. Onward To Frande!

The Conquerors

Chapter 5

Onward To Frande!

"Everyone dies, but not everyone truly lives."

"To conquer your fears is to live. To be conquered by fear is to die."

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING HERE except my characters, my own skills and my story. Also, certain characters like Yavanna and Ronald belong to my friends. XD The rest all belongs to the great Lee Myung-Jin and Gravity. oo;

All intellectual property apart from what Lee Myung-Jin and Gravity own is copyright to ME. =P

Jikuu searched through the many shelves of the Prontera Library the whole morning, ignoring his hunger completely. He eventually found a map and a book on the legendary Frande, describing how the author escaped death and lived to tell the tale before being eventually assassinated.

After most of the messes were cleared in Prontera, the party gathered at the South Gate of Prontera.

"Frande... This map shows its estimated location in the Sograt Desert. Apparently, it's an ancient city shrouded by sandstorms and guarded by many men who are trying to break the Seal Of Infinity used to encase the city's master, Zeta in a stasis field, preventing Zeta from ever moving," said Jikuu as he flipped to a page with a symbol that resembled a Y and a C joined together by their sides.

"This is the symbol we saw engraved in the armour of those enemy knights we fought yesterday and it's supposedly the official symbol of the city of Frande," he continued.

"Wait... Who's this Zeta?" asked Kai.

"According to the information of this book, Zeta was an unfathomably powerful wizard who possessed the physique and the skill of a powerful swordsman with the speed of an assassin. He was unbeatable, until his most trusted aide, who wrote this book, betrayed him. The man found out the weakness of Zeta's seemingly impregnable defence and magic—Zeta had to spend long hours in his private chambers recovering lost energy after battles. While Zeta was recuperating, the aide stabbed him and although he survived, the aide sealed Zeta in a stasis field with an incantation that could seal him for infinity," said Jikuu.

"Why would that person want to harm his own master? And how did he escape?" asked Yavanna.

"The book does not say. Let's move... It probably won't be long before Zeta is freed and he amasses his armies," Jikuu replied as he placed the book in a pouch attached to his belt. They immediately made for Frande, following the map in Jikuu's hand. A monk turned and sprinted in the opposite direction, having overheard their conversation.

The party marched through the desert for Frande and began to feel the sandstorms. The storms were strong and sand was blowing everywhere. Yavanna shielded her eyes with the sleeve of her dress, while Kai put on his goggles and Gale put on a blindfold. Tian Han was used to sandstorms and thus stood still as Jikuu closed his eyes and said, "Yakurovanda kezekiro vacoriandei!"

The sandstorm rapidly died down, revealing the seemingly deserted city of Frande. Its high stonewalls blocked the view of outsiders and arrows sped out from its towers at the party. Yavanna prayed for God's mercy and her prayer was answered immediately as the arrows fell to the ground uselessly. Kai told them to move on while he shot arrows at one tower and his falcon raided another. They came to a gate that Gale hacked apart with his katana. Gale proceeded to remove his blindfold and they charged into the main castle compound, hitting aside the guards that obstructed them. Soon, they reached a HUMONGOUS underground chamber where many powerful monsters were imprisoned in Oridecon crystals and several men chanting in tongues surrounded a great Oridecon crystal in the middle of the chamber.

Gale approached, but several assassins revealed themselves and attacked. Gale fought with them for a while and managed to fight one-on-one with one of them. He killed that one, but turned around to see one of the assassins kicking Yavanna to the ground. Han was squaring off with another assassin as the previous assassin jumped forward to strike Yavanna, who was on the ground. An arrow impaled that assassin in the head and sent him flying as Kai helped Yavanna to her feet. The party regrouped and stepped forward to strike the men around the Oridecon crystal in the centre, but when Gale's katana made contact with an invisible barrier, they were knocked back out of the castle into the courtyard, where many Knights stood, thirsty for blood. Gale and Han fought them one by one, with Kai supporting and Yavanna assisting by healing their injuries. Jikuu cast several powerful spells that reduced the number of Knights significantly. Eventually, there were only a dozen Knights left who regrouped and charged forward. Before anyone could even move an inch, Tian Han had appeared to dash through them and stopped with one knee touching the ground and the other bent and touching his chest, with his two daggers in his hands, which were crossed.

"Shadow Dance."

Dozens of cuts appeared on the Knights, who immediately fell to the ground in pools of blood. Han got up and turned around, then placed his daggers in their holders hanging from his belt. He grabbed his katars as the party just stared at what he'd just done. They didn't have much time to say anything, because from the castle gates came several of the monsters that had been trapped inside the Oridecon. They fought long and hard and eventually brought down the enemies. Then, a goat-like creature carrying a crescent scythe approached the party.

"Baphomet..." said Gale as he remembered his previous nightmare. The Baphomet attacked with its scythe. Gale blocked the attack with his left arm above his head, holding the lower part of his katana's handle. He pushed against the power of the Baphomet, but it was too strong. He was sliding due to the Baphomet's unstoppable momentum of its swing. When the Baphomet's scythe stopped moving, Gale slammed into a pillar that held Frande's flag. Kai aimed for the Baphomet and shot an arrow at its head as Han leapt up to attack it. Jikuu began casting powerful spells to help fight the Baphomet. Gale jumped at its chest and slashed downward, but it dodged the blow and kicked Gale.

Han was beginning to annoy the Baphomet. It kept swinging its scythe at him, but never hit him once. The Baphomet shouted in a great burst of anger and lightning bolts soared to the sky from the ground, followed by pillars of electricity that electrocuted Han. When the smoke electricity disappeared, Han was on the ground, half conscious after getting struck by such a powerful magic spell. Gale was fending off the Baphomet alone, because Jikuu was tired from repeatedly casting spells and Kai had run out of arrows. Gale was once again struck to the ground. As he lay on his back, the Baphomet raised its scythe. As the scythe fell, several monks focused their powerful punches at the Baphomet's chest, sending it flying back into a wall. A female monk dashed in and watched as the other monks stood behind her. She cracked her knuckles and got ready to fight the Baphomet.

It looked at her with its bloodshot eyes and ran forward, swinging its scythe at her. She grabbed the scythe by the handle as it came from her right and turned at the same time then pushed the other end of the scythe downwards, causing the Baphomet to fall, still holding on to its scythe. As the Baphomet got up, she punched and kicked it unceasingly, then as it charged forward to elbow her, she grabbed its elbow and pushed it to the ground while kicked its lower body, causing it to roll forward and slam right into the blade of its scythe, killing it instantly. The men from inside the chamber exited the castle doors and resurrected the dead monsters. Many monks and crusaders flooded into Frande to fight the monsters as the female monk who single-handedly defeated Baphomet offered Gale a hand. She pulled Gale to his feet.

"I overheard that you were coming to Frande and I informed the Prontera Church and the Saint Capitolina Abbey. They insisted on assisting you, so this is the result," she said, smiling. She looked behind Gale and saw a blacksmith and crusader standing at the gate she came through.

"Hey! Over here!" she shouted to them excitedly. "Meet my friends, Logan, a Crusader and Glenn, a Blacksmith." Gale shook hands with the both of them. Logan insisted on going along with Gale to fight inside the castle. Seeing as having a Crusader's help wouldn't hurt, he agreed. Glenn provided Kai with a fresh set of arrows and gave them some water to refresh themselves. The fighting continued as Yavanna healed Han of his injuries. When Han felt better, they went into the castle without Glenn to fight Zeta in the castle chamber.

They entered the chamber and saw Oridecon shards everywhere. Zeta stepped forward and Gale drew his katana immediately, ready to strike. He immediately leapt forward and slashed at Zeta, who simply smacked the katana aside with his bare hand and kicked him into a wall. Han jumped forward and struck Zeta with successive and unceasing katar slashes. Zeta formed a blade of pure Oridecon instantly and deflected the attacks. He stabbed Han in the left side of his torso and punched him away, grinning evilly. Kai shot several arrows at Zeta, who outstretched his palm towards the arrows and formed a shield of tangible air that blocked the arrows. Kai stared in shock as the shield disappeared and Zeta's fist quickly clenched, causing an explosion behind Kai and Jikuu, who flew forward into a wall. Yavanna and Logan were the only ones left standing.

Yavanna looked around. She couldn't reach her friends in time to heal them before Zeta could kill her. Zeta smiled and walked toward Logan, who had his polished shield in front of him. Zeta laughed at Logan and slashed with his Oridecon Blade. Logan blocked the attack with his shield, but Zeta kept pushing against the shield. Logan managed to push Zeta's arm aside and impale his Tsurugi in Zeta's chest.

"Haha... Hahaha.... HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" laughed Zeta as he disappeared. Yavanna took this opportunity to help Gale to his feet and assist the other party members. Logan stood behind Yavanna's back, ready to fight Zeta if he appeared again.

And appear he did. Zeta materialised out of thin air and grinned. "That was merely my illusion and he almost destroyed your whole party... Imagine what I can do... Hahaha!"

Logan gritted his teeth and charged forward with his shield in front. Zeta's hand flew out from behind the cover of his Ragamuffin Manteau and passed right through Logan's shield to punch him. Logan staggered and regained his balance. Kai got up and readied an arrow, but Zeta turned his head and said, "Oh, no, you don't." Kai's left knee was instantly dislocated and he fell flat on the ground, groaning in pain. Zeta laughed and repeatedly and rapidly punched and kicked Logan, who tried his best to block with his shield and sword. Zeta pushed him to the wall and pinned him to it by holding Logan's armour.

"This will hurt... But only for a while... Hahaha!" Zeta said sinisterly to Logan as he pushed his palm into the armour, transmitting a wave of reddish energy into Logan. Logan grabbed his chest and yelled in extreme agony as a heart attack ripped through his chest. Zeta laughed and dropped him on the ground, turning to face Gale, who had already drawn his katana. Zeta smiled and punched the ground, causing a tremor to knock Gale off-balance as he formed another sword purely made of Oridecon and zipped forward to slash Gale who was getting back onto his feet.

Gale blocked the strike with his katana, which broke in half. Gale was speechless at that point of time. Zeta delivered a kick to Gale's face, causing him to become airborne, then grabbed his right leg and tossed him at the wall. Gale fell to the ground and lay there, weakened by his many injuries. The female monk entered the chamber and was immediately assaulted by Zeta. As he slashed, she grabbed his wrist and twisted it while jumping up, then pushed his chest with great force. Zeta fell to the floor as she landed and punched his abdomen.

Zeta rolled backward, kicking the monk at the same time, stunning her for a short second. The monk focused and got into the stance for Asura Strike, then opened her eyes and lunged at Zeta, her arm ready to release a deadly punch. Zeta stepped forward with his right leg bent to form a right angle and his left leg straightened to lend support and at the same time punched the fist that came toward his face. The resulting collision of great forces caused a spiritual eruption that sent the monk toward Yavanna. The monk crashed right into Yavanna, as Zeta stood straight once more and laughed.

"So this is the best that Rune-Midgard has to offer? I was expecting more than this from the defenders of this land... Hahaha!" laughed Zeta. Han sped toward Zeta and struck with one of his katars, but Zeta simply turned, avoiding the attack and pushed Han's collarbones with his palms, causing waves of whitish energy to appear like ripples in water as he struck Han, who slid back and dashed forward again to attack.

"Fool," said Zeta, sidestepping and chopping Han's neck with his right hand. "You can never defeat me... Hahaha! I was caught off-guard the last time... But it will never happen again..."

"It's not over yet..." Han mumbled as he stood again.

"Outstanding! You have endured my attacks... But let me tell you this... I haven't even used half my power on the whole lot of you. Hahahahaha!" Zeta mocked, kicking Han with the sole of his boot and then holding on to Han's head, releasing a surge of energy into it that tore through his entire body like a bullet through paper. Han fell flat on the ground, unconscious.

Zeta smiled and turned around to see Yavanna and the monk looking back at him.

"Hehehe... Your party's main fighters have been defeated... What will you do now?" he questioned. The monk clenched her fists and dashed forward, exchanging punches and kicks with Zeta in a raging fury. Never before had anyone, not even Logan, seen her so angry. She noticed during her patterned strikes that Zeta's arms crossed when she kicked. She repeated this series of movements for a while, then after her kick, instead of punching, she landed, turned around and thrust her foot into Zeta's face, causing him to somersault and land flat on his chest. She remained ready to attack as Zeta recovered from his fall.

"Not bad... But not good enough," said Zeta as he swiftly approached the monk and struck her from seven different directions at once, then elbowed her neck and pushed her into a wall by grabbing her chin. Zeta smiled and drove his Oridecon blade, which he instantly formed out of thin air, into her abdominal area. Her eyes widened but she couldn't scream. The uncomfortable position her neck was in barely even allowed her to breathe, let alone scream. Zeta pulled the blade from her body and let her slump to the ground, dead.

"AOI!!!" shouted an angry and miraculously empowered Logan, who tossed his shield toward Zeta's head. Zeta ducked as if he was doing the limbo, the shield returning to Logan's arm like a boomerang. Logan struck Zeta with his Tsurugi repeatedly, blocking Zeta's retaliations with his shield. Yavanna was trying to get Gale to stand. She desperately shook him to try to wake him up.

"Come on, Gale! I've seen enough death now! I don't want anyone else to die!" she kept trying to wake him up, but he didn't respond. Logan was fighting so ferociously that the heat of the battle could be felt in the entire room. Zeta slashed and Logan blocked with his shield. Logan tried the same method of impaling his sword into Zeta's body, but he missed. Zeta had turned and sliced his armour in half in one blow. Logan continued to attack aggressively, but Zeta broke through the attacks and slammed the hilt of the Oridecon blade into Logan's chest, crushing a few ribs and ramming Logan right into the wall. Zeta approached Yavanna, who was still desperately trying to wake Gale up.

Zeta laughed and slashed downward, but before his blade made contact, with Yavanna's head, Gale instantly rose and unleashed an uppercut on Zeta's chin. Zeta flinched and rubbed his chin. Gale attacked Zeta, who blocked all the attacks without any problems. "Give up! Your weapon is broken! You cannot hope to defeat me!"

"Never... Even with a broken sword, I will fight to the death!" replied Gale, who continued to fight with his broken katana. Zeta mocked Gale and kicked him in the shin, causing him to slip, then kicking his shoulder then stabbing Gale in the chest.

"Argh..." mumbled Gale as Zeta lifted him up with his Oridecon blade. Zeta pulled his blade from Gale's chest and outstretched his left arm's open palm. Gale instantly flew backwards into the wall and was pinned there by an invisible force as Zeta approached. Gale was struggling against whatever pinned him down, but Zeta simply placed his hand on Gale's chest.

"This is the true full force of the Heart Attack... Prepare to die!" Zeta told Gale as a crimson-red glow surrounded his forearm and his punched Gale's chest with his fist. The glow dissipated, but Gale let out a yell of pain as the most painful and deadly heart attack ever to befall mankind ripped through his entire being. He fell limp and fell to the ground as the force pinning him to the wall weakened and eventually disappeared. Zeta then turned to Yavanna again.

"Now, where were we...? Ahh, yes," said Zeta as he raised his Oridecon blade. Yavanna looked on in fear. She panicked and edged towards the wall behind her. She knelt and prayed with her heart and soul that God would deliver her from death. As Zeta got closer and closer, she prayed even harder. Zeta brought down his sword, but he didn't feel the cutting of flesh. Instead...

He felt the familiar clash of his blade against metal.


	6. Revelation

The Conquerors

Chapter 5

Onward To Frande!

"Everyone dies, but not everyone truly lives."

"To conquer your fears is to live. To be conquered by fear is to die."

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING HERE except my characters, my own skills and my story. Also, certain characters like Yavanna and Ronald belong to my friends. XD The rest all belongs to the great Lee Myung-Jin and Gravity. oo;

All intellectual property apart from what Lee Myung-Jin and Gravity own is copyright to ME. =P

"The Conqueror..."

Conquer...

"Death cannot claim The Conqueror..."

Death...

"Rise, Conqueror, for you cannot be defeated by Death!"

I shall rise...

Zeta felt the familiar clash of his blade against metal.

"Hmm?" he wondered. A black scimitar-like two-handed sword was blocking the Oridecon sword and had the word "CONQUEROR" carved into it in rune symbols. Gale pushed the Oridecon sword away with both hands supporting The Conqueror, to the surprise of Zeta.

"You... You have overcome Death itself. You possess admirable strength... I wish to see what else you can do, having conquered Death! Hahaha!"

Zeta attacked Gale repeatedly with powerful strikes, but Gale deflected and blocked the blows with the blade. With one hand holding The Conqueror, he hit the Oridecon blade aside and dashed forward to elbow Zeta in the nose then slammed the hilt of The Conqueror into Zeta's forehead, knocking him to the ground.

"Amazing power, Conqueror. Now... have a taste of this!" Zeta said as he pointed the tip of the blade of the Oridecon sword at Gale. Several chains of extremely powerful Napalm Beats assaulted Gale, who remained standing. Zeta lunged forward and punched Gale in the chest, then grabbed him by the shirt and threw him into a wall. Gale landed on the wall with his feet and rebounded, heading toward Zeta who created a wall of electrical energy. Gale went right through it, enduring the electric shocks. He repeatedly slashed Zeta, who blocked the strikes with his Oridecon sword. Gale eventually broke through Zeta's defence and slashed him diagonally across the chest, then kicked him into the wall, causing him to drop his Oridecon sword, which immediately shattered.

Zeta got to his feet and smiled. "Finally... a challenge," he said, cracking his knuckles. He jumped into the air and seemed to kick off thin air. He slammed into Gale almost instantly and in a matter of two seconds, unleashed a frightening combination of powerful punches, kicks and a final energy burst that shook the entire room and caused Gale's right arm to twist into such an uncomfortable position that the shoulder was dislocated. Gale gritted his teeth and slid forward, kicking Zeta as he dropped The Conqueror. He picked it up with his left hand and fought with Zeta while Yavanna tended to the injured party members. Yavanna laid a hand on Kai's knee and prayed. A greenish aura surrounded the injury and the leg miraculously recovered. It still hurt, but it was better than being disabled. Kai immediately shot an arrow at Zeta, who swung his head aside and blocked a slash to his neck from Gale.

Jikuu regained consciousness and looked as Zeta continued fighting with Gale. The two strongest entities existent in Rune-Midgard could not overpower the other. Zeta sent bolts of electricity flying at Gale, who was pinned down by the attacks. Gale grabbed on to The Conqueror tightly and used it to support him as he stood up, still getting shocked by electricity.

"I will not be defeated by the likes of you! I will conquer you!" Gale declared as he attack Zeta, who fought back hard. Jikuu chanted a verse from the book in his waist pouch repeatedly. Zeta covered his ears and fell to his knees, yelling as if his ears bled while hearing the incantation. Gale seized the chance to attack Zeta and stabbed The Conqueror through his chest. Zeta gritted his teeth and punched Gale aside, breaking the blade of The Conqueror. The majority of the blade remained lodged in his chest.

Yavanna gathered everyone in one place as Gale was flung aside. Jikuu was hit by Gale, who sprang to his feet almost instantly. He attacked Zeta with what remained of The Conqueror, but it still cut as if it were the entire weapon.

"This is impossible... Your weapon is BROKEN! How can you still fight like it were there?!" demanded Zeta.

"I fight not with my sword but with my soul! As long as the spirit of The Conqueror burns inside me, I will not fade and my weapon will remain as it is, for the warrior's true weapon is his fighting spirit and not his blade!" replied Gale, spin-slashing Zeta, who was knocked into a wall. Jikuu chanted more verses and incantations, causing Zeta to be pinned to a wall.

"It seems you have reached the Seal Of Infinity... I will not be sealed again!" Zeta shouted as Oridecon magically formed around his wrists, sticking him to the wall. The Oridecon began to spread and encase his body slowly. Gale held his right shoulder and adjusted it so that it was close to its normal position as Zeta struggled against the Oridecon.

"You will all die with me... Hahaha!" Zeta laughed as he pushed both hands against the wall, causing explosions and shockwaves to rock the foundation of the castle.

"Get out of here! Move now!" Gale shouted to them. Logan once again was miraculously empowered and held his shield above himself and Yavanna as debris began crashing down on them.

"GAHAHAH! DIE, FOOLS!" Zeta exclaimed as the Oridecon approached his neck area. From his back came many beams of energy, heading for the party to destroy them. Gale outstretched his arms and the energy beams swerved toward him.

"GO! NOW!" Gale shouted.

"GALE! Come with us!" Yavanna shouted, stretching her arm to him. Logan pulled her back under his shield as everyone ran out of the castle. She turned her head to see the energy beams rip right through Gale's body, tearing his body apart.

"NO!" shouted Yavanna, tears welling up in her eyes. Logan dragged her out as the entire room caved in. The whole castle of Frande began crashing down. Bricks and other debris, which Logan tried to move away, blocked the doorway.

"No good!" Logan lamented, his face twisting painfully at the thought of death.

"Allow me," Jikuu calmly said as he stretched his arm forward and opened his clenched fist. The debris immediately flew aside and the bricks disintegrated, clearing an exit for them. They ran through it and out of Frande as the whole place collapsed and blew up. Most of the army of Crusaders and Monks escaped the carnage.

After the dust had settled, Yavanna dashed straight back into the ruins of Frande.

"Gale! Gale! GALE!" she desperately called out, moving debris and waste aside in her search for him. She eventually found Zeta in his Oridecon prison and used him as a landmark to locate Gale with. She searched the area and found Gale's mutilated body mostly covered by the debris.

"Gale..." Yavanna mumbled as she covered her mouth. She began crying at the loss of yet another good friend.

"I'm not dead, Yavanna. I can't die," Gale's voice said to her.

"Huh? But..."

"I am The Conqueror. I cannot be conquered, for I conquer all. I am dead, yet alive. You may not understand yet... But you will, one day. Zeta and I are direct opposites. We are fated to meet every time I am reborn into a new man. Until we meet again..." the voice said.

"Gale! GALE!" Yavanna shouted as Gale's body vanished.

"Don't worry. You'll see me again, that's for certain. It's only a matter of when." Yavanna nodded and turned to see Jikuu looking at Zeta, imprisoned in Oridecon.

"We must place his prison someplace where nobody will find it..." Jikuu said as Han carried Zeta on his shoulder.

In Lutie's vast snow-covered land stood a frozen Oridecon prison with a man's figure inside it.

A woman had just given birth in Prontera. A hunter stood next to her and asked, "So, what's his name gonna be?"

"Gale."

The ice around the Oridecon prison began to crack. As the years passed, the ice completely melted down. The Oridecon also started to crack. A knight and his party were lost in Lutie and came across the Oridecon prison, which immediately shattered into a thousand pieces.

"We meet again..."

"Yes we do..."

"Gale."

THE END


End file.
